Favorite Books and Authors

"Mrs. Eck, do you have a favorite book?"

I have been asked this question so many times during my teaching career, and I usually answer it in two different ways. "That would be like asking me if I have a favorite child," or "There are too many good books to have a favorite."

Groans usually follow that answer as most students don't like either of those answers, and I understand it. I think they are looking for validation of a choice they made, or the fact that having a favorite is acceptable by someone who (typically) reads a lot.

Because of this, I back up my answer with a comment such as this is my favorite for this week, or this month, or this school year.

I'm also asked about favorite authors, and I can honestly say I don't have one of those either. This made me think about a recent Goodreads post when I used the phrase, "one of my favorite authors." 

I finished reading Old School by Gordon Korman, and I thought about what makes him one of my favorites. 

1. He writes books that almost all middle school readers can relate to.
2. His books are funny and many take place in school, giving school a positive image.
3. His books have a deeper message that kids can understand.

But maybe the real reason why he is one of my favorites is because he has written 105 books! When someone writes that many books and when you read many of them, I believe that automatically launches him into "my favorites" category.

I saw him speak at a conference, and he is hilarious. I could easily see his personality reflected in his books.

 

Old School is about a boy who has been raised and homeschooled by his grandmother with the help of others in a retirement community. Dexter is twelve...going on 60!

I can't wait to get to school, and book talk this one to my students and say, "This is my favorite from spring break!"

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating 
a space for me and other teacher-writers to share our stories.

Some Thoughts on Commenting

Image by Peter Olexa from Pixabay

This community is fueled by comments, but commenting is something I struggle with. What kind of comments do I need to make? What kind of feedback do slicers want to see? Do I comment on the subject of the slice? Do I comment on the connection I make to my own experiences? Do I comment on the craft move?

I don't believe there is a right or wrong way to comment, but my comments always feel inadequate.

When I write a slice, or anything for that matter, I want the reader to connect with it, to elicit an emotion, or to make the reader think about something in a new way. This is also a writing challenge with a place to try out craft moves with no risk. A place to play and experiment. 

As I read one of my recent slices, I noticed a comment by Fran McCrackin: "I like how your structure is good for describing a journey: you begin and end with today, and in between you chart out the time and events. It works."  Yes, I intentionally did that, and she not only noticed but also commented on it.

I decided to go back and look at Fran's comments on others' posts, and I began to notice the craft moves of the comments she writes. Fran will comment on her favorite line or paragraph, or the perfect word choice and how that word(s) made her feel. She comments on the mood of the piece and what lines or words create that mood. She sees structure and identifies it in ways I would never think of. She always comes back to the writing itself. 

And isn't that what this challenge is really about? Improving my writing?

Moving forward through these next 12 days, I want to be a more intentional commenter, to really look at the writing along with the chosen topic and the connections to it. This will take more time, and I will not get to read as many posts, but maybe I won't feel quite so inadequate!

Thank you, Fran, for being a commenting mentor!

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating 
a space for me and other teacher-writers to share our stories.

Dear Students SOL #14

 Dear Students,

I walked down the hall today and saw this sign on our Student of the Week board. It made me sad because it is not the first time I have seen it this year. But it also made me reflect on my role as your reading teacher.

You were in first grade when we left for Spring Break and never came back. Much has happened since then. Students have changed; teachers have changed. 

I have noticed that we don't have the reading and writing stamina that we once had. Distractions have increased, and our motivation has decreased.

It is not just you; it is also me.

If you had me as a teacher a few years ago, you would have seen me excited about books. You would have heard me talk about books almost every single day. You and I would have conversations about the books you were reading.

I would have recommended more books, given you more time in class to read, and sat down with you reader to reader.

And I would never have seen this sign. 

I have eight more weeks with you, and I hope to find that reading teacher I once was and know I can become again. I have stacks of books waiting this week for me to pick them up, read them, and share them with all of you. 

Spring Break, here I come!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Eck

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating 
a space for me and other teacher-writers to share our stories.

Books, Books, and More Books SOL #12

Can a person, especially a teacher, ever have too many books? 

Absolutely, positively NO!

I thought you'd say that! I totally agree although my husband may not.

Where did you get all of those books?

We have a foundation in our district that awards grant money to teachers to spend in their classrooms each year. As long as we are a member, we can apply to get up to $500.

You can get anything you want for your classroom?

For the most part, yes, But I always get books, books, and more books.

These are some great titles! 

I took titles from the lists of teachers I follow on social media. Many of these titles came from Colby Sharp. I get a lot of recommendations from him. 

OH! The Night War. I love that series by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

Me too! I was on a panel with her at NCTE. She was a delight!

And Gordon Korman is one of my favorites!

My students love him!

The Probability of Everything was an amazing book!

Her second book is this stack too! I have heard a lot of good things about that one.

Which one are you going to read first?

Now, that is a very good question! Which one do YOU think I should read first?

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating 
a space for me and other teacher-writers to share our stories.

Copier Stress SOL #11

Image by manuelwagner0 from Pixabay

In a recent post, I wrote about how I do not like technology changes. Well, the same goes with copiers. We received a new copier, and I just can't get the hang of it.

When I hit the button for the number of copies, it already has the number one. When I hit 105 for the number of students I have, sometimes the first number one doesn't go away, and guess how many copies I get? Yes! Over 1,000. Luckily, I have only done this once!

My second thorn in the rose bush copier is the double-sided copy button. For some reason, I just can't get this down either. Today, I needed single-sided to double sided. I must have hit double-sided to double-sided because I ended up with an 8-page single-sided document with BLANK pages in-between that should have been 4 pages, double-sided. UGH! 

And this isn't the first time for this. Our old copier had pictures to show you what to do and what you get. I need pictures!

Something that is meant to make my life easier should not be adding this much stress! 

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating 
a space for me and other teacher-writers to share our stories.

Obsession or Fondness SOL #9

I was struggling with a topic for today's slice, so I decided to scroll my phone to find a picture that might inspire me. 

I stopped on this picture some of new markers I bought and sent to a colleague because she also likes markers and pens. 

I thought, "Oh, writing about my favorite writing tools might be a fun slice to write."

Off I went to I went to my writing and reading rooms upstairs and began opening desk drawers and looking at the containers of pens I have.

You all, I think I have an obsession.

Let me introduce you to some of my favorite, and some neglected, writing friends.

These are my highlighters that I use for my Bible and for professional books. 

These are my brush dual tip Crayola markers. Yes, I wanted to use these in journals, but I am not very good at the fancy writing...yet!

These are my twistable colored pencils--the best! I use these to decorate my notebook pages and in my adult coloring books.

These are my Sharpie pens. I use these in my notebooks, but not as much as some of the others.

These are my fine-tip Sharpie markers. My regular tipped markers are at school. 

These are my Paper Mate Flair markers. I use these in notebooks, especially the unusual colors.

These are my erasable colored pencils. Although I can erase mistakes, I have to have a sharpener, which is why I like the Twistables better.

And these are my best friends! The EnerGel pens. At the beginning of the school year, I bought a 20 pack and love, love, love the colors. I use these for everything from grading papers to writing in my notebooks.

So, what do you think? Do you think I have an obsession or just a fondness for writing tools?

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating 
a space for me and other teacher-writers to share our stories.

Focus on the Direction SOL#8

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

One step forward and two steps back has been my life since my knee injury on January 20th. I make progress, and then something happens to deter that progress.

Yesterday, I received a second injection in my knee, and I was so hopeful that would help the bursitis. I switched orthopedic doctors, and I felt good about my decision.

As the day went on, it became more painful to walk. I went to bed feeling quite defeated.

This morning, I woke up to a text from assistant principal that had nothing to do with my injury, but it was just what I needed to read.

"Don't be as worried about the distance 
but focus on the direction."

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating 
a space for me and other teacher-writers to share our stories.

Somewhere SOL #7

I love the change of the seasons and change of scenery and change of perspective. I really don't mind change expect when it comes to technology. 

We have been waiting on new computers for what seems like forever. The week before they were to arrive, we were instructed on how to back up our files. I am not a fan of Google drive. I just can't organize it like I can my desktop. Because of my dislike for drive, I decided to also back up my files on a jump drive so I could reload them on my new computer desktop.

Files were copied, and I used the jump drive the next day to work on yearbook. At the end of the day, I put the jump drive "somewhere" and went home.

The following day I went to get the jump drive from "somewhere." And guess what, I couldn't find it anywhere. I looked at home; I looked at school; I looked in my camera bag. I looked everywhere, and I looked everywhere again and again, but I could not find it.

I began to panic. I needed the files on this jump drive.

I called our tech department and asked if I could get my old computer back to save the files again.  I searched through boxes of over 60 black computers that all looked the same. 

Did I have any identifying marks? Yes! A chip on the right-hand bottom corner!

But so did many others.

Finally, I found my computer and resaved my files, but I still wanted to find that jump drive because I knew it had to be "somewhere."

I backtracked my steps. The last place I had it was when I was working on the yearbook. I again, opened my camera bag, took the camera out, and looked in all the zippered pouches. Feeling defeated, I sat at my desk and went to put the camera back in the back, and I finally found it..."somewhere."

And little did I know the little orange jump drive was stuck on my camera!

 

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating 
a space for me and other teacher-writers to share our stories.

Finger Frames SOL #5

 

One of my classes finished reading Grenade by Alan Gratz, a story about an American soldier and a young Okinawan soldier. It is a great book that gives young readers a glimpse of the devasting effects of war.

Hideki, the Okinawan boy, was taught by a lieutenant to use his fingers to frame what he sees. The lieutenant asks him, "What story does this picture tell? That's what I'm always asking myself. Not just what's happening in the photograph I take, but happened before it was taken, and what will happen afterward. How you frame a photo says everything about the story you're trying to tell."

The American soldier begins to collect photos, many from other American soldiers who are dying on the battlefield. He collects them to reassure those who are dying that he will give them to the soldiers' family members.

The two soldiers eventually meet, and Hideki takes over the collection of photos from the American soldier. At the end of the book, Hideki still has the photos, from both Americans and Okinawans, and puts them on a wall to keep their stories alive.

As we were discussing the point of using fingers to frame what we see, one student says, "Mrs. Eck, this book made me realize that everyone has a story to tell that we don't always know, or we don't always get to read."

This made me think about this challenge. The wall that Hideki posted these pictures on are like our blogs. Yes, we all have stories to tell, but now I wonder how you framed your pictures. What happened before? What will happen afterward? 

I may go through tomorrow holding up my fingers to frame what I see, and I might just find a slice!

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating 
a space for me and other teacher-writers to share our stories.

Three Things That Made Me Smile Today SOL#4

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

I am trying to avoid social media these days. Mostly because it is a time sucker. 

A while back, I started posting "three things that made me smile today." I loved doing these posts. It helped me to find those small, ordinary things that I was grateful for in my day.

Gratitude journaling has many benefits such as lowering stress, improving attitudes, and increasing happiness. Although I haphazardly keep a gratitude journal, I enjoyed posting these on social media.

As I was deciding what slice of my life to share today, I thought this would be a great way to capture those small moments that I am grateful for.

Three things that made me smile Monday:

1. The smell of cocoa butter--I have been massaging the muscles behind my knee and the bursa sacs with cocoa butter, and while at first, I didn't like the smell, it now reminds me that through pain comes relief.
2. Reading aloud to my students--I don't do this often enough, but we are reading a whole class novel, and I have been reading aloud some of the chapters. Even middle schoolers enjoy this!
3. My husband--with my knee injury, my mobility is limited, and I am unable to go up and down stairs. My husband has been pulling double duty by doing extra things around the house. I am so grateful for his help!

Writing this slice of gratitude made me smile and ended my day on a positive note!

I am grateful to Two Writing Teachers and the other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

A Paper Butterfly and a Student Note SOL #3

This is not an oh, poor pitiful me post, but you have to know the events of the past month to understand the joy to the ending of my day today.

On January 20 of this year, the day before my 61st birthday, my knee went out on me. I was leaving school for the day, it went completely out, and I could not walk. 

I went to the doctor that week and received a cortisone shot. That day, I was in so much pain, and I became discouraged because I thought it was supposed to help. My students were not well behaved, and I lost it on a few of them. Toward the end of the day, one of my students saw me sitting on the bench outside my room, clearly defeated. 

She says, "Here I made you something."

It was a paper butterfly, and it was in that moment that I broke down. The pain, the behavior, and the small, sweet gesture just did me in. 

That weekend I came down with the flu and was out of commission for days. I went back to school too early because you know, that's just what teachers do. I had a chronic cough for what seemed like forever, and I lost my voice. 

I started therapy and after a few sessions, I was making good progress. I thought, "Ok, we're turning a corner here. I can do this!"

Then last Wednesday, I developed bursitis, and I have been in pain since.

Today, the same student handed me a piece of paper and walked off. After I read it, she came back up to my desk, and said, "The best part of that was watching your face when you read it. You went from (insert serious facet) to this (insert smiley face.) and that just made me smile." And she skipped back to her seat. 

What a joyful ending to my day and a discouraging month!

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

Three Little Words SOL#2

Image by AS Photograpy from Pixabay

When I was growing up, I rarely heard the words "I love you." This doesn't mean I grew up in an unloving home or had terrible parents. Neither of those would be true. Mom just didn't express her love with those three little words.

My mom showed love in other ways. 

Fixing our favorite dinner on our birthday.

Donuts on Sunday nights.

Timing Sunday dinner so all four kids could be at the table. 

Saturday trips to the library and Saturday nights on the couch reading our books. 

Rolling my hair in pink sponge rollers to try and control my naturally curly hair.

And Christmas. Mom made Christmas extra special even when times were tough.

These days, I go and visit her in the memory care unit. I sit beside her, rub her shoulders and hands, and tell her about my day, what the weather is like outside, and what Megan and Ethan are doing. Our visits are becoming more difficult as she stares into space and mumbles a few incoherent words. 

When I leave, I tell her when I will be back to see her next, hope she has a restful night, and "I love you, Momma." 

And in those few minutes of our goodbye, she looks at me and clearly says three little words... 

"I love you." 

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

Remembering My Why SOL #1

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

I have heard the mantra, "remember your why" in many educational circles, presentations, and professional development sessions. Sometimes, it rubs me the wrong way because I think it can be overused. 

As I contemplated joining the Slice of Life for year 12, those words kept coming up. And honestly, they are the reason why I completed the Google form to sign up.

I continue to join this challenge to...

1. Capture stories.
2. Document memories.
3. Renew connections with other writers.
4. Enjoy "seeing" them again even if it is for just one month.
5. Practice my craft authentically.
6. Set a goal and accomplish it.
7. Learn new writing moves from other slicers.
8. Sharpen my noticing skills while looking for moments to capture in a story.
9. Create authentic mentor texts to use with my students.
10. Receive a natural high when I press the publish button.
11. Meet new writers from all over the world.
12. Push me to do hard things.

Look at those verbs! This is my why as I say hello to year 12!